(a) Field of the Invention
The disclosure relates to display devices, and more particularly, to a method of fabricating a flexible display device.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Contemporary flat panel display devices are often capable of achieving a large display area, while also being relatively lightweight and having a slim, or thin, profile. Flat panel display devices include liquid crystal displays (“LCDs”), plasma display panels (“PDPs”), organic light emitting displays (“OLEDs”), and the like. Conventional LCDs, PDPs, and OLEDs often use a glass substrate that can be overly brittle and prone to cracking.
Recently, flexible display devices using a flexible substrate, such as plastic or foil, instead of a glass substrate have actively been developed. The process of fabricating a display panel with these flexible substrates typically involves fabricating a thin film transistor (“TFT”) layer on a plastic substrate (“TOP”). However, fabricating a display panel by directly forming a TFT on the plastic substrate instead of the glass substrate still presents difficulties in due to the flexibility of the plastic substrate.
Accordingly, current fabrication processes often apply a rigid carrier substrate to the flexible plastic substrate, usually via an additional adhesive layer and separation layer. The TFT array is then directly fabricated on the plastic substrate, which has been effectively stiffened by the added carrier substrate. Once the TFT array is fabricated, the carrier substrate is detached from the plastic substrate.
However, an additional process is needed for forming the separation layer on the carrier substrate, thereby adding process time and expense.